Wednesday, May 24, 2017

“From Ashes to Glory” by Karin Fendick

When we consider
poetry in the Bible, we rather naturally think of the Book of Psalms in the Old
Testament. Many of the psalms – songs of praise, fear, anger, acceptance, and
all the other human emotions – were written by David. His son and successor wrote
The Song of Solomon, the book of Ecclesiastes, and most of the Book of
Proverbs. In fact, when you consider all of the poetic forms used from Genesis
to Malachi, you find that some 75 percent of the Bible is written in poetry.

Writer and poet
Karin Fendick has called upon that poetic heritage to create From
Ashes to Glory: A Psalm a Day. It is a collection of 47 poems / psalms
that speaks to the worship of God, the beauty of his creation, the grace and
favor of God, the brokenness of humanity, and the daily struggle of individual
life. Each psalm is solidly within the tradition of poetry found in the Bible.

These are quiet
psalms, designed to be read in a quiet place free of distractions. They are
generally short, reflective poems. “The 11th Psalm” is a good
example.

The 11th Psalm

to choose to walk surrendered

a
laying down, giving over

day after day,
moment by moment

this is a precious, priceless, peculiar

path, a way contrary to the world

spirit
rising as flesh descends

what earthy mind
can reason it out?

this, a radical,
relational, remarkable

road, not by my choosing I tread

a continued dying gives way

to life

Here Fendick is
describes faith as a walk, “surrendered, a laying down,” and a laying down on a
daily basis, moment by moment. It’s a walk the world cannot grasp or
understand, and thus it appears foolish and futile, something beyond the
limitations of human reason. It is not something psalmist chooses to do but is
instead chosen to do. It is a dying, a continued dying to the ways of the
world, but a dying that gives way to life.

Karin Fendick

Fendick and her
husband Rick are native Canadians, and since 2014 have been serving as
missionaries in Africa.

From Ashes to Glory is a cool drink of water in what we
often find as the parched desert of daily life, times of stress and trial, and
times of doubt.

Poetry at Work

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About Me

Professional writer exploring faith and culture, life and work; happily married to Janet, the love of my life; father of two grown sons. Award-winning speechwriter and communication consultant. I am an editor for TweetSpeak Poetry and the author of the novels "Dancing Priest," "A Light Shining," and "Dancing King," and the non-fiction book "Poetry at Work."